Poisoned Petals (Haikyuu)

Chapter 11

To give their friend more privacy, Oikawa left Suga and walked in a drunken daze away from the tree house and the clearing; he did not check to see whether Suga followed. Smiling, he walked between trees, leaving bloody bioluminescent footprints as the vines dug in. 

But he did not stop, and continued on. He had nowhere to go, but he didn't care, because he had done what he needed to do, had left Iwaizumi for the better. He reached a cliff face, and stared at the edge, but saw no point in jumping. Instead he sat and let his legs dangle as he started at the park below him, teeming with life, with purpose and being. He looked forward to joining it.

His flowers bloomed in a crown around his head that attracted a small hoard of fireflies, and the petals he shed made for a beautiful final resting place. He closed his eyes, and did not even register the person next to him, so it was lucky his jolt of surprise didn't topple him over the edge when Iwa said, "beautiful."

Oikawa opened one eye and glanced at him sideways, his glow illuminating the others features. He looked like he should have a halo and some white wings, that was how beautiful Iwa was to him. "The park really is pretty."

"I wasn't talking about the view."

Oikawa felt a blush work its way up his cheeks and laid back, covering his face with his arm.

"You don't have to do that, you know."

"Do what? State the obvious?"

"No. You don't have to say things. I am going to die. I have made my peace, so you don't have to lie. There is no point in loving a crushed flower that is currently covered in insects."

Oikawa felt Iwa lay down next to him. He continued to breathe as he hid his face. He felt a hand grab his and move his arm, interlacing the fingers so that their hands were linked above their heads. Oikawa closed his eyes, and let a tiny firefly land on the tip of his nose, as a small vine snaked its way across his face.

"I have done some research," started Iwa. "and I know for a fact that you are not going to die tonight, or tomorrow, or any time this week. Not from this, at least, though if you make a habit of wandering into national parks, or those cuts on your feet get infected we may have a problem."

Oikawa still kept his eyes closed. "What makes you so sure? These petals are winding their way up my throat as we speak. A beautiful flower will bloom, covered in my blood, and I will die here. Though we had all hoped that we might become a flower ourselves. I certainly would not mind living as an iris forever."

"I know, because an iris is my favourite flower."

This caused Oikawa to open his eyes. "What?"

"There you are."

Oikawa started blushing again, and went to turn his head back to the sky but Iwaizumis hand on his face made him pause. They were close. They were very close.

"You are not going to die, because it isn't one sided. Because those are my favourite flowers. And I know what that means."

Oikawa started to believe.

"You are not going to die, Oikawa Tooru, because I love you too."

Oikawa stopped breathing. "This cannot be a joke, Hajime. You cannot love me like a brother or a f- friend, this is..." He stopped when Iwa gave him a crooked smile. "What?"

"It's just that you look really cute when you stutter."

Oikawa was flushed again and curled into a ball which Iwaizumi then pulled against him. He looked at the stars while Oikawa combusted against his chest. Iwa sat up and put Kawas head in his lap, stroking his hair. The thin vines on his face stopped growing for the moment.

"Tooru, I can see your mind churning. I can practically hear the doubts from here. So, could I get permission to maybe prove to you this is real?"

Oikawa could barely manage a nod as Iwa positioned Tooru so that he was straddling him, and kissed him, softly at first then with a hunger that sent Oikawa reeling. When he pulled away they were both panting a little bit, and a small flower fell from a vine on Tooru's arm that had already decreased in size. He felt his chest expand as he took his first full breath in days.

"Did that seem fake to you? Because I will happily stay here all night, in this beautiful place with a beautiful person and try to convince you over and over."

"You don't have to, Iwaizumi. Besides, even if this doesn't turn out to be real, I would rather live here in this dream than have to wake up and face the real world. Would rather have these memories, even if it might hurt more later."

Hajime felt himself soften a little at the words. "You know romance isn't really my thing, that feelings can be hard to express. But you have been alongside me my whole life Tooru. You were there when it mattered, and when it didn't. I love you so fucking much. Not as a brother or a friend. As a boyfriend. As you."

Oikawa smiled, a real smile that made Iwaizumis heart soar. "God Iwa-chan, you're going to make me cry." Iwa laughed then. "How I have missed you calling me that." They smiled and brought their foreheads together as Iwaizumi felt his eyes water.

"Crying? Why are you crying Iwa-chan? Did I do something wrong?" Oikawa started to panic and wiped the tears away with his thumb, leaving bright glowing streaks under Iwa's eyes, like the tail of a comet, or perhaps a falling star.

"I am crying, because I am so happy. I thought you were really going to die up here Tooru. That I would arrive to find a pile of flowers instead of the boy I love, that I would never get a chance to say these things. I was still scared when I walked here to see you near the cliff, even as your beauty took my breath away. And that fear only went away when you said my name again."

He let his head fall onto Oikawa's shoulder. "Don't ever leave me, Tooru. You are too damn important. And never assume that I would be happy without you. Also that blonde woman you were so concerned about? That's my cousin, idiot."

Oikawa looked horrified. "Oh God, I really thought you were in love with your cousin for a whole month!" Iwa chuckled at his expression. "You aren't the brightest bulb in the bunch, baby."

Oikawa blushed at the nickname, even as he responded with a snarky comment and Iwaizumi smiled and thought to himself, this.

This is perfect.  

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Sup bitches, hope you like possibly my ~favourite~ chapter in this whole book. I'd also like to say reading your comments makes my day, and thank you for sticking around until Chapter 11. Enjoy